Enjoy, laugh, disagree or simply empathize with those who lived life in THE sixties and are now rockin' life in THEIR sixties, and beyond.

Am I alone in my journey from the Age of Aquarius to the Age of Austerity??

Your Boomerbroadcaster’s house is relatively sedate with a couple of pumpkins and some garlands of autumn leaves.

Thanksgiving and Halloween decorations tend to morph together as autumn sets in. Canadians generally don’t go as overboard as Americans with a front yard full of tombstones and skeletons hanging from trees (unless we still have young children at home) but we do like to acknowledge the harvest. Our front door hydrangea wreaths are replaced by fall apple wreaths and we arrange a few pumpkins on the front steps alongside a straw doll or two. A cornucopia of fake gourds and berries decorates the diningroom table and we dig out our fall tablecloths and place mats.

When I was hauling the Rubbermaid bin of fall decorations up from the basement, I recalled retired neighours we had when I was growing up. I didn’t really understand as I watched their Christmas decorations shrink bit by bit every year until they were finally celebrating with just an illuminated ceramic tree sitting on an end table surrounded by tiny presents. There were always dishes of chocolates and a Christmas candle on the coffee table but otherwise things were pretty minimal. Now that I too am retired and have all the time in the world to embellish my home with seasonal decorations, lovingly bake colourful cookies and craft craftie crafts, I . . . . well, I don’t.

Not in my front yard.

When a friend downsized from a house to a condo a few years ago she reduced her Christmas decorations from seven storage bins to one. But she’s finding it hard not to buy more colourful and imaginative doo-dads to add to her seasonal decorative arsenal. We love all the seasonal goodies in the stores and we love it in our homes but the work involved in unpacking and putting everything up, taking it down and repacking it again, then hauling all the containers back down to the basement or the garage . . . well, many of us just can’t be bothered any more. The last time I had a real Christmas tree a few years ago, slicker than Tom Sawyer I coerced the grandchildren into taking it down and packing the decorations away. I liked that system so much I haven’t put up another tree since. We just string lights on one of our fake indoor fig trees, attach a few baubles and call it a day.

All I want for Christmas is . . .

I’ve heard that there are actually people with enough to money to hire seasonal decorators and while that will never be an option on my retirement budget, I sure do like the idea. Imagine having a little van arrive three or four times a year with Easter eggs, bunnies, baskets, Halloween decorations, Santas and all the accoutrements for whatever other seasonal holidays you celebrate. Your fantasy would materialize in a few hours and remain for the appropriate time frame before the little van returns with the next season’s array of goodies. I guess that addresses one seasonal icon I can relate to—The Grinch. I have some fake pumpkins and gourds but I sure wish I had one of those little illuminated ceramic Christmas trees. Then, my life would be complete.

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As an early Baby Boomer, born in 1947, it seems to me that as we approach our retirement years, Boomers have gone from being the energy driving our nation to slowly becoming invisible. We risk losing our identity as society remains stubbornly youth-centric. And the irony is that Gen Xers and Ys are not the majority; we are. BOOMERBROADcast is my platform for being the voice of Baby Boomers, women in particular. We've generated a lot of changes over the decades but there's still a long way to go. After a 40-year career in the corporate world, I've taken up expressing the observations and concerns of our generation. Instead of pounding the pavement in my bellbottoms with a cardboard sign, I'm pounding my laptop (I learned to type on a manual typewriter and old habits die hard).
If you have issues or concerns you would like voiced or have comments on what I've voiced, I'd love to hear from you. We started breaking the rules in the sixties and now that we're in our sixties it's no time to become complacent. Hope you'll stay tuned and if you like BOOMERBROADcast, share it with your friends.
Let's rock n' roll!
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Lynda Davis

4 thoughts on “Am I alone in my journey from the Age of Aquarius to the Age of Austerity??”

I knew I could always count on you. See you later. Lynda Davis Follow my blog at: http://www.boomerbroadcast.net Social commentary on life from a Boomer Broad’s perspective e-mail: lyndadavis1@yahoo.ca For further insights into the Boomer perspective on business, fashion, mind and body, order my new book, BOOMERBROADcast. It makes a great hostess, birthday or Christmas gift. Click on this link: http://www.lulu.com or http://www.amazon.com

Hi Lynda……I actually have one of those little lighted ceramic Christmas trees!! lol I also have a room full of tubs of decorations but am lucky if I even open a couple. Maybe I am turning into a Grinch…..

You’re not a Grinch – just normal! My former mother-in-law used to make those ceramic trees and I never managed to score one. Looks like I’ll just have to buy my own. Happy Halloween Joni. Lynda Davis Follow my blog at: http://www.boomerbroadcast.net Social commentary on life from a Boomer Broad’s perspective e-mail: lyndadavis1@yahoo.ca For further insights into the Boomer perspective on business, fashion, mind and body, order my new book, BOOMERBROADcast. It makes a great hostess, birthday or Christmas gift. Click on this link: http://www.lulu.com or http://www.amazon.com